Secrets in Silence
by TheMockingjay1998
Summary: For her entire life, Max has kept her secret, even from her family. But when a dark, mysterious boy moves to her town and transfers to her school, what will happen? What if he might share the same secret as max? What if the whitecoats will do whatever it takes to kill them if they so much as look at each other? Lots of faxniss.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer. I don't own Maximum Ride. There's no way I could be awesome enough to write a book like that.

Chapter One

I sit bolt upright in bed, trying to control my shivers of fear. I keep having the same frightening dream, over and over again. It has something to do with the whitecoats capturing me, but I can never remember the details. Glancing over at my clock, I see that it's three in the morning. God, how hard does a girl have to try to get some sleep around here? I know I won't be falling asleep anytime soon, so I get out of bed slowly, stretching as my feet touch the soft carpeted floor of my room. I throw on some comfortable clothes and tiptoe silently down the hall and down the stairs. I pause at the bottom, listening. My mom and my sister, Ella, are still fast asleep, from what I can tell. I open the front door, step outside, and close it as softly as I can behind me. I look up at the sky, thousands of pinpoints of light twinkling above me. Smiling to myself, I take a running start and leap into the air. Unfurling my wings, I let the wind catch in my feathers and drift for awhile. If you're really shocked about the fact that I have wings, then go read my books. They're awesome, just saying. Anyway, back to current times. I coast on the drifting thick night air, tilting my wings slightly to catch more wind. The cool air whispers past me, making me feel more free and alive than anything else ever could. Flying is absolutely the best thing in my life, besides my family. Speaking of my family, they don't know I have wings. This is because the scientist never told them, and ordered me to never tell them. When I was very young, my father, Jeb, had captured me and experimented on me. As a result of those experiments I am now 98% human, and 2% bird. I really don't mind the wings, but I constantly live in fear of being captured by my dad and put through more experiments.

I flap my wings harder and faster. Now that they're warm up, I can fly faster. I fly at about 200 miles per hour, the wind making the skin on my face tingle, and my hands slightly red from cold. I don't care, though. All that matters is flying and enjoying the time and freedom I have right now. I can't fly when anyone else would be watching. This makes night not only the only time I can fly, but my favorite time of "day." It's the time that I can be myself.

I fly for hours before noticing that the sun is turning the eastern sky pink with the approaching dawn. With a sigh, I begin to fly home. As I fly, dipping down over the rooftops of the small Arizona town, I swear I can see a large, black form in the distance. At any other time, curiosity would have gotten the better of me, but right now I need to get home. The dark spot moves quickly toward the ground, then disappears out of sight. Even with my enhanced raptor vision he is no longer visible. With a sigh, I descended toward home. My window is open from the previous night, so I slip in and slide back into bed. It's 5:30, so I have half an hour to pretend to sleep before I have to get up for school.

The obnoxious beep, beep, beep of my alarm miraculously wakes me from a deep sleep. Groaning, I get up and get dressed for yet another day of school.

Let me tell you, trying to hide my wings in regular clothes really does stink. Eventually, I settle on a pretty cute outfit. I wear a baggy long-sleeved shirt, with a pair of thankfully normal-looking jeans. I don't particularly care about how I look, but I know I'm probably the only girl in the world who doesn't.

Once at school, I sit down in homeroom, barely managing to suppress a groan. Another day of school. I look down at my homework that I'd "forgotten" to do last night, and furiously scribble answers until I feel someone looking at me. Staring, actually. Slowly, I lift my head and do a quick 360. Soon enough, I catch the person's eye. The boy is tall and wears mostly blacks and grays. I don't think I've ever seen him before. It occurs to me that he might be new. I return his gaze for a second, then find myself quickly looking away. Before I can look away all the way, though, I notice him give me a smirk.

The rest of the school day goes by quickly, with me wondering who this new kid is. When the bell finally rings at three o'clock, I practically fly-wish I could right now-out of the building and down the sidewalk.

I'd only been walking about a minute when I feel someone's eyes on the back of my neck. I whip around and automatically assume a fighting stance. The person who appears to be stalking me is that new kid from school.

"What?" I almost spit at him. "Why are you following me?" He holds up his hands.

"God, I'm not going to hurt you or anything," The new kid says with another smirk.

"Like you even could," I snarl back, giving him one of my death glares. I swear he chuckles. "Why are you even talking to me? And who are you?"

"Fang," He replies. What kind of name is Fang?

"Well, um..." Why can't I come up with a good comeback?

"What, Maximum?"

"How do you know my name?" He shrugs. "You're such an idiot, and so not worth my time."

"Because your time is so valuable?" No one, not even my mom, has ever gotten this far in an argument with me.

"Yeah, it is, and I'm not wasting it dealing with you."

"I must be interesting, then," I'm practically hissing answers through my teeth by now.

"You know that's not what I meant, and your ego really needs adjusting, if you really think you're that fascinating."

"I don't think it, I know it."

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Am I?" He pretends to look hurt.

"I can't deal with you right now," I snarl.

"Is wittle Maxy having a bad day?" He asked, imitating someone talking to a small child.

"I never thought you'd talk this much." I say. "Judging from your appearance."

"Ooo, you've been looking at me?" By this time, all I want to do is go home and go to sleep. This is the first argument I've ever walked away from where I'm not the winner.

"Whatever. I don't care." I snap. We're both being immature, so what does it matter if I finish off the argument that way. Turning on my heel, I march away. How I wish I could fly away right now? That idiot Fang, and probably a ton of other people would see me, though. I run back home and open the door.

"Hey, sweety." My mom calls from the kitchen. "How was school,"

"Usual," I reply. She knows not to press further. I run up the stairs and to my room. I take a running leap onto my bed and just lay there, thinking. I think about how much of a jerk that kid Fang is, and how much I wish I was just a normal, non-flying teenager. Eventually, I zone out so entirely that I fall asleep.

The sound of the doorbell ringing returns me to consciousness with a heart-pounding jolt.  
My mom had to go back to work, and Ella has soccer practice. I'm the only one home. I hurry to the front door, and look through the window to the side of it. My breath catches in my throat, and everything around me seems to freeze. I open the door slowly, attempting to hide behind my emotionless mask, even though betrayal is tearing at me like a knife through my chest.

"Hello, Max. Can I have a word?" Asks a smiling Jeb. "You're in pretty deep trouble, Max,"

A/N. Like it? Hate it? Why do I always start ANS like that? Let me know in a review if you have any suggestions or things you want to see. Thanks for checking this story out? I'll update as soon as possible, probably later today, Sunday at the latest. Later, guys! 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N. Omg, you guys are so awesome! Thanks so much for all the support I've already gotten for this story, and it's only chapter two! Again, you guys are awesome, and sorry I couldn't update sooner.

Disclaimer. I don't own Maximum Ride.

Chapter Two

"What are you doing here?" I spit at Jeb, trying to appear as menacing as possible.

"What am I doing here?" He repeats my question with palpable glee in his tone and expression. "I'm warning you about something." I raise my eyebrows.

"What are you warning me about? Hey, Max. I'm a horrible father. Just letting you know. Max, in a couple weeks, or days, maybe? I'm gonna capture you and experiment on you again, making your life even more screwed up than it already is." I could go on and on.

"Be serious, Max," Jeb's tone is chiding, but somehow amused at the same time. What, I ask you, is his problem?

"Ok, fine. I'll be serious." I let out a bark of humorless laughter. "About what, Jeb? What this time?" As you can probably tell, I hate him with a passion.

"As you know," Jeb goes on, completely ignoring my attempts to end the conversation. "Your whole life is a planned test."

"What?" I explode. "As I know? I did not know that. I was not aware that my entire life is a test. But I really should have expected it. My first memories, after all, take place in a dog crate with scientists ogling me." Jeb lets out an exasperated sigh.

"This is important, Max."

"Let's think of how many times you've said that to me? How about when I was two, and you were so kindly informing me that I might possibly have wings? Or the time you told me I could never tell my family about said wings? Forget it, Jeb!" After my tirade, I slam the door in his shocked face. If he wanted to protect me, he should have started long ago. I crouch down by the window so he can't see that I'm watching him drive away. After his car has disappeared around the corner of my street, I stand, still seething. Who does he think he is? Showing up whenever and screwing up my life? What was he going to warn me about, anyway? Never mind. Even the fact that he was trying to warn me about something is probably one of his sick tests.

When it comes time for my nightly flight, I've cooled down a little, but only the tiniest amount. I try to let the feeling of the slightly chilly night air wafting around me comfort me. Of course, it does little to calm me down, so I end up staying out much longer than I normally would. By the time I'm heading home, the sun is already a little way up, illuminating the white clouds below me. I'm looking at the clouds, trying to see through them to locate my house when I see the black shape again. I'm flying fast to get home before my family wakes up to discover that my bed is empty, but I can't help realizing that the dark shape is much too large to be a bird, and much too small to be an airplane. I fly down through the cloud bank toward my bedroom window, still thinking about the large shape in the distance.

Just as my feet touch the carpet inside my room, my alarm goes off. Wonderful. Looks like I'm not getting any sleep tonight. I get dressed in the same outfit from yesterday. Who cares what I look like, anyway? It's not like I have any friends.

School goes by, same as usual. I walk out of school and head for the woods behind my house. They're a great hiding place for me when I need to think without my family bothering me. Just as I'm settling down, pondering the best ways to kill Jeb with my bear hands, I hear footsteps crunching through the woods toward me. Immediately, I'm tensed, wings slightly open, ready to fly off at the slightest hint of danger. To my surprise and horror, I see a dark shadow making its way quickly through the trees toward me.

"Hey, Max," Fang calls, but it's too late. My fight or flight instincts have already kicked in. I guess it was just that kind of day for me. I just have to choose to fly. I fly fast and far, trying to put as much distance as possible between me and Fang's inevitable questions. How stupid can I be? I actually flew in front of a human. Worse, what will Jeb do? Will he kill me? My family? Fang? Actually, Jeb killing Fang would be something that wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

I fly for hours. The rhythm of my wings moving up and down, up, and down calms me a little. I watch as the sun sinks into the distant ocean, and darkness overtakes the sky. I don't even know where I am anymore. Mom is probably worried about me. Ella, too. What can I do, though? I can't face Fang's questions and my mom's worry. All I can do right now is do what I, Maximum Ride, only bird kid in existence, seem to do best. For right now, I guess all I can do is fly.

Ok, guys, I'm really sorry about the shortness to this chapter, but I think I'll be able to get another one up tonight, but if not, I'll put a really long one up tomorrow. Again, thanks for all the favs, follows, and reviews, guys! I love to know people are actually reading my stories! Let me know in a review if there's anything you want to see in later chapters. Until next time, guys! 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer. If I owned the Maximum Ride series, I'd be like three times older than I actually am, which would be really, really sad.

Chapter Three

Ugh. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate emotions? I mean, happiness and warm fuzzy feelings like that are fine, but confusion and fear do not coexist well together in my head. Usually, when I feel fear, I am all ready with a plan. This time, I have no such thing. What the heck happens now? How am I going to get myself and my family out of this situation? After many more hours of thinking and flying, my brain finally registers that my wings are soar and tired. I decide to land in a nearby forest and try to get some sleep in the higher branches of a large oak tree. As you can imagine, this doesn't work well. Along with the hated confusion and fear, the guilt has started to creep in. Oddly, I feel like I betrayed Jeb in some way, which doesn't make the least bit of sense because he is the enemy here, not anyone else. I do feel guilty about leaving Mom and Ella, but I can't do anything about that right now. Thoughts repeat themselves over and over in my head. Will my family be all right when I get home? Should I even go home? What about fang. What kind of questions or accusations will he have in store for me? I guess these thoughts repeating over and over relaxed me enough to fall asleep, because I wake to the sun shining directly in my eyes. Wincing, I sit up, trying to suppress a groan. My body is aching all over not only from cold, but from sleeping on a dang tree branch for almost twelve hours straight. With my muscles protesting, I begin the descent to the forest floor. All I want right now is something to eat. I glance down, hoping to spot a good trash can to dig around in for food, but instead see about a hundred erasers. Well, what a wonderful start to a fantastic day. Note the sarcasm in that statement. Heart pounding, I try to come up with something to say or do. I can't fight. I'm out numbered a hundred to one, and my street fighting skills are not what they should to be. I don't think this situation can get any worse.

"What, can't climb trees? Too afraid of how easily I can kill you from twenty feet in the air? Come on up, Jeb." I do everything in my power to make absolutely sure that my voice isn't shaking. By the way, did I mention that Jeb is at the head of the pack of erasers? Oh yeah, must have forgotten that little tidbit of information.

"Not now, Max," Jeb puts a hand on his forehead like he'll die if I make one more snappy comeback.

"What this time?" I ask.

"You've revealed your wings to a human," Well, looks like he's not beating around the bush this time. "Therefore, you must be killed."

"That sounds nice coming from my own father." I think I see a pained look cross Jeb's face before it is quickly replaced with a vacant, almost bored expression.

"It's just the way things are," Jeb sighs patiently. Now my steely voice is out in the open.

"Well, dad. It's not gonna happen if I have anything to do with it." Jeb makes a slight motion to the erasers. In an instant, one of the bigger ones is beside me on the branch. How did he get there? In the next fraction of a second, I'm balancing on the branch, wings spread, throwing punches. As I've mentioned before, I am very out of practice in the art of street fighting. The eraser easily finds an opening. Agony rips through my right wing as the eraser slashes it with a long, sharp, blade-like claw. It takes every fiber of my iron self-control not to shriek in pain. Blood is poring from my injured wing, staining the tree branches below me bright red. The eraser laughs maniacally. Looking down at Jeb, I see that he is smiling as well.

"What!" I shriek, letting my pain out in an angry cry. "And now you're going to kill me. Again I say, not on my watch." Everyone looks at me quizzically.

"How will you escape?" Jeb asks as if enquiring about the weather. Have I mentioned how much I hate him? Well, I'm going to say it again. I hate Jeb with a passion.

"I'll find a way," I snarl. Without warning, the eraser lunges at me again. I have no choice to leap backward off the branch. Flapping my good wing wildly, I manage to come to a somewhat soft landing. As soon as my feet touch the ground, I'm running as if my life depends on it, which, if you think about it, it does.

Of course, the erasers are sprinting after me. They have a definite advantage because they do not have an injured wing. My wing throbs with every step I take, and blood is still dripping slowly down the feathery surface. There's no way I can possibly fly out of this situation. I keep running, thankful for the hard-packed ground which helps me sprint quickly and easily through the trees. I have one advantage in this whole horrible situation. Jeb can't run to save his life, apparently. He's such a control freak that he won't just let the erasers run after me. Of course not. He has to be in the lead. As I run, I can hear him crashing through bushes and cursing furiously as he gets tangled. I smile to myself as I keep up a quick sprint with ease. They'll never catch me now. Thanks, Jeb. For once in my life, I don't think there's any sarcasm behind that one.

I run out of the forest and straight onto a highway. Well crap. Veering quickly, I sprint down the side of the highway. Jeb and the erasers are way behind me, so if I run fast enough and cover my tracks, they won't be able to tell where I've gone. I sprint for a couple hours. Yes, you heard me right. Me being the awesome bird kid that I am, I can run at a steady pace for a long period of time. I slow down to a walk, panting a little. I try to gage where I am by what I see on the highway, but it's impossible. After a couple more miles of walking, I see a sign that so kindly informs me that I've approached the Arizona state line. Great. Now I'm going to have to walk all the way to the small town where my family and I live. It's about half-way across the state.

Before I begin my run home, I easily steal some food from a gas station-fast running really pays off-and find somewhere to sleep. Before settling down, I do a 360, making sure I can escape easily from all directions, but not be seen.

I wake up again with the sun shining directly in my eyes again, but this time, no erasers are surrounding me. Looks like they've learned their lesson from yesterday. I steal some more food from the same gas station, and then I'm off. It's about noon when I finally arrive at my house. Just before I'm about to open the door, I remember my injured wing. It's sticking out a little to the side. It hurts too much to tuck in against my body. Who cares, anyway? It's going to have to be treated by someone, and who better than a veterinarian? I decide to be safe and knock on the door, which opens literally a second later.

"Max!" Mom screams as she hugs me tight. I let out a tiny shriek of pain. "What is it, Max? Are you hurt?" It is at that moment that she spots the wings. My life could get either much better, or way worse than it already is. It all depend's on what she says next. Will she think of her own daughter as a freak? Will she just pretend not to see the wings and the gash running through my right wing? "Max? What," She stands there, mouth agape.

"Close your mouth, mom. You'll catch flies."

"You have wings?"

"Obviously."

"Max, how did this happen?"

"How do you think?" Mom sighs.

"Jeb?" Mom looks so shaken. I feel really bad for her, which as you know is rare for me.

"Yeah, but you can't know. He'll kill you, or me, or someone."

"What?" Mom looks like she's been dropped on Mars. "Kill you? Me?" Her voice trails off as she notices the gash on my wing_. "Oh god, Max!" The last thing I remember before passing out is a scream, and I can't tell if it's mine or my mom's.

A/N. Once again, you guys are amazing! Thanks so much for all the favs, follows, and reviews! Keep on being awesome. Til next time. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer. Do I really have to keep writing this? I don't own Maximum Ride.

Chapter Four

I open my eyes to see a white room lined with shelves full of tools and, yes, needles. I lay there for awhile, taking inventory of my body's aches and pains. My wing doesn't hurt as much anymore. Looking over at it, I see that it has been cleaned and the gaping hole stitched together. Well, at least someone thought to do that. I sit up to try and figure out where I am. That's when I see the metal table that I'm sitting on. My heart starts to pound. I knew it. That idiot Jeb would capture me again and experiment on me. Just when my life couldn't get any worse, it just has to turn from pretty bad to absolutely horrible. Then, something occurs to me. I'm not strapped to the table like a crazy person or something like that. MY limbs are all free from restraints. I stand up, looking around frantically, thinking that this could only be a trap. What now? Are erasers, or better yet, whitecoats going to come in and start trying to kill me? This would be the usual, after all. I'm thinking about how much my life will suck now that I'm back in the School, when mom walks in, smiling. I have to stop myself from falling on the floor laughing. I thought I was trapped in a really creepy science lab with really evil scientists experimenting on me, but here comes my mom, walking in and smiling at me.

"Mom?" I ask, hating myself for not having something better to say.

"Max. You're awake,"

"Obviously,"

"I can't believe you have wings! When did you get them? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Mom. Slow down. I got them when I was two,"

"What!" She almost shrieks, interrupting me as usual. I sigh. Okay, my life is really bad right now. On top of everything else, I have an overprotective mother freaking out on me. "You had wings when you were two and," She stops, realizing something. "That was when you disappeared." I shrug.

"Whatever. I have wings. That's fine. So am I a freak or not? To you, I mean."

"No, of course not!" I'm surprised to feel a tiny knot of tension loosen in my chest. Well, that's a relief. My own mother doesn't think I'm a freak. Now I can go on living my life.

"Awesome. Just great. So you don't think I'm a freak. Cool. Thanks, mom." I stop, wondering why the heck I'm being an idiot to my mom. I guess I'm angry that I'm even asking my mom this question. It doesn't seem at all fair for me to have to ask my own mom if she thinks I'm a freak or not. "Sorry," I mutter sullenly. I swear that is the first time in my life I've ever apologized to anyone, let lone my mom. My mom looks shocked. We stare at each other for a couple minutes before she starts laughing.

"Well, It's fine, Max." Let's get you home." On the drive home, I'm peppered with questions from Mom, as you can guess.

"What's it like to fly?"

"Can't explain,"

"Do you enjoy it?"

"Sure," Back to the same old Max, trying not to get people killed. I'd be fine with my mom knowing the amazing joy I get from flying. There's one little problem with that, though. Jeb could kill her if she knew too much about his little experiments.

"Why didn't Jeb tell me?" Mom is getting more and more distressed with each word.

"Why do you think? I told you," I can't tell how many days have passed since I passed out on the front steps to my house. "Um, A little while ago." Mom's face turns white.

"He could kill us, right?" My mom actually asks the question casually, like she's talking about the weather. I guess I know where I got at least a little of my sarcasm.

"Yeah," I say. "He doesn't want people to know about his experiments, obviously." We pull up to our house to find Ella waiting for us, almost jumping up and down with excitement.

"Hey, guys!" She screams. "I can't believe you can fly, Max! Do you like it? Is it like totally amazing? Can you take me one time?" I raise my eyebrows at her. She goes on talking. "Are you like half bird or something? I mean, since you have wings and," I've never heard her talk this much. Just to shut her up, I lift her into my arms and leap into the air. She screams as I snap my wings out. The right one still hurts a little, but I can easily use it to fly. Ella is laughing and saying, "Oh my god," over and over again. Despite all the crud in my life right now, I smile as we go higher.

Ella and I spend about twenty minutes in the air before I come to a graceful landing on our front steps. My mom is staring open-mouthed at me.

"What?" I ask. She closes her mouth and shrugs. Ella jumps down and smiles at me.

"That was awesome," she exclaims. I give her one of my really rare smiles before running as fast as my genetically enhanced bird kid legs could carry me. For those of you who are thinking, "You idiot. You're running away again?" You're really wrong. All I do is run upstairs into my room. Slamming the door shut behind me, I turn to see none other than Fang sitting there on my bed.

"Stalker much?" I ask, appalled that he would be here in my room without my mom or Ella knowing.

"Not really," Fang replies. "Just wanted to know what the heck happened a couple days ago?" I laugh a little harshly.

"Um, I spread my wings and flew away?" Normally this would have been kind of funny, but in this situation it's nothing but the truth.

"You have wings." Fang states.

"Yes, obviously." I agree.

"How did you get them? Why did you fly away the second you saw me?"

"Well, I got them from," I stop abruptly as the sound of shattering glass and running footsteps breaks ever so annoyingly through my concentration.

A/N. Thanks for all the follows and reviews! I have a question for you guys. Do you want the entire flock to come in later in this story, or do you want it to be just Fang and Max who have wings? Keep on reviewing and being awesome, guys! Laters, people! 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer. I promise you, I don't own Maximum Ride.

Chapter Five

Fang and I look at each other for a second.

"What now?" He asks just as the door flies open. He really doesn't freak out easily, gotta give him that. I shake my head, getting back to the issue at hand. Once I see the problem, I'm punching, kicking, and hitting. Hundreds of erasers are flooding into my room. Looking over at Fang, I see that he is fighting just as hard. This doesn't make any sense at all. I'd just escaped from a pack of erasers and they hadn't come after me when I'd been running or even when I was in my mom's veterinary clinic. No, they decide to attack at the perfect moment, an awkward situation. It wouldn't be my favorite distraction, but it works all the same. The fight ends, as you might expect, with about ninety percent of the erasers either unconscious or dead, and the others escaping as fast as possible. I take inventory of my bruises and cuts to discover a split lip, black eye, and maybe a couple broken ribs. Just the usual, folks. Fang seems to be in a little worse condition, but nothing he can't handle, apparently.

"So, What was that all about?" Fang asks. He seems to be trying to keep his tone casual.

"Um... Well," I guess I can tell him. He already knows my secret. "My dad wants to kill me." A surprised laugh bursts from Fang's lips. In the time that I've known him only a couple days I haven't seen him smile once, let alone laugh. All he seems to do is smirk.

"Really?" He questions, still chuckling a little. I nod, trying to hold back a snarl.

"This isn't funny." I snap. "In case you haven't noticed, he's kinda serious about the whole killing his daughter thing."

"Obviously," Fang agrees, indicating the fallen erasers surrounding us. "Speaking of those... Things, what are we gonna do about them?"

"You've got a point," I say. Erasers are piled on top of one another, some halfway transformed into their wolf forms. Their noses are grotesquely elongated, and fur is poking out of the skin surrounding said noses. "Now that I think about it, though, I'm sure my loving, compassionate father will kindly remove them from the situation." Fang's eyebrows go up.

"He was the one who gave you wings, right?"

"Yeah, guess you could say that. Technically it was the evil scientists who work for him, but you get the idea." Fang nods. He opens his mouth to say something, but then shrugs and closes it again. I look at him quizzically before saying. "I'm really tired, so get out of my house." Aren't I like the most polite person you've ever met? The corners of Fang's mouth tilt up in his version of a grin.

"You sure you don't want me to stay?" He asks.

"Are you flirting with me?" Fang chuckles a little. "Not working," I say before leaving the room. "If I come back in my room and you're still there like the stalker you are, I swear I'll kill you!" I shout over my shoulder as I enter the bathroom. I close and lock the door behind me. I really don't want anyone, especially Fang, walking in on me.

"I spend about an hour under the hot water, feeling my aching body relax. Life sucks, but a nice long hot shower that probably annoys the heck out of everyone is really the way to go. I say this because I'm sure mom and Ella have a ton of questions to ask me. Speaking of which, where are they, anyway? I shrug. The last thing I need right now is questions. I've got a lot of thinking to do without worrying about how to answer questions without getting everyone in my family killed. Was I too open with Fang? Will he suffer because of my words? Is Jeb planning to kill everyone in my family anyway? Yeah, the typical life of an American teenager. How boring.

I get out of the shower and dress in jeans and a t-shirt. As I'd predicted, there was no evidence that a fight had taken place in my room only an hour ago. Not a single eraser or drop of blood is in sight. Wow, for an evil mastermind, Jeb really does know how to clean a bedroom. I turn to the full-length mirror in my room and take a deep breath.

"Okay, Max." I say to my reflection. "You can do this." I put my shoulders back and walk out of my room. Once downstairs, I realize that I can't find anyone anywhere. "Mom?" I ask, expecting to be bombarded with more questions. "Ella?" No answer from either of them. "Where are you guys?" I search every room of the house, feeling dread build slowly in my chest. "Guys!" Now I'm angry. Where the heck did they go? That's when a note on the kitchen table catches my eye. I mentally face palm. Duh. They left a note.

The second I pick up the note, I can tell something is way wrong. Isn't my day bad enough already? The note is written in tight, cramped handwriting, definitely not mom's or Ella's. The note reads:

Max,  
I told you you should listen to me. I think you know where your mom and sister are.

J.

Well, obviously Jeb wrote this note, and for those of you who have been following my adventures so far, I think you know where mom and Ella are. Of course, Jeb just had to make his life more interesting and kidnap them.

A/N. Thanks so much for continuing to review and follow this story! I promise you there will be faxniss in this story. I'm just building up to that. So, if you have any suggestions or anything, review. Also, if there's anything you want me to fix, just let me know. Stay awesome, guys! Until next time. 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer. I think you guys know that I don't own the Maximum Ride series because this is like the sixth time I've said it.

Chapter Six

I stand there for a moment, staring at the note. Why does Jeb have to make my life so miserable? I don't even know how I'm going to rescue mom and Ella. Much as I hate to admit it, there's no possible way I can do it by myself. The problem is, who can I ask to help? It's not like I have any friends, anyway, mostly because I'm, well, not that nice to people in general. Racking my brain, I try to think of people who would be willing to help. For some reason, my mind just keeps taking me back to the same person. Fang. Yes, he is a seriously messed up jerk who I believe to be a stalker, but he is the most likely person I know to help.

I begin to stride purposefully toward the door before stopping in my tracks. As usual, my famous snap decisions have put me in a bad position. I just told fang to get out of my house or I'd kill him. I'm sure he took that threat seriously. And finally, the worst part. I have no clue where Fang lives, or where he would be right now. It's not like I can look him up on google or anything, mostly because that would make me the stalker, but also because I have no idea what his last name is. "Way to go, Max," I mutter bitterly under my breath. Sighing, I go back upstairs and flop down on my bed, picking up my phone. There is one missed call along with a voice mail from an unknown number. Hoping against hope, I listen to the voice message. Fang's voice comes loud and clear through the speaker of my phone. My first thought is "how did he get my number?" Then I remember that I really need to talk to him and ask for some kind of help. What is wrong with me today? Without listening to the rest of the voice mail, I press the "call back" button. Fang answers on the third ring.

"Hey, Max," He sounds surprised.

"What, thought I wouldn't call?"

"Yeah, actually."

"I really need your help with something." There's a slight pause.

"I never thought you would ask that." Fang chuckles. I actually snarl at him through the phone. This would have scared any other human being, but I guess Fang isn't affected. "So, what do you need my help with."

"Jeb kidnapped Mom and Ella." Shocked silence follows.

"What can I do?" Fang doesn't waist time expressing his shock in words, which I like. Wait, what am I saying?

"I don't know. Can you just,"

"Be there in a seconds." Wow, he knew what I was going to say before I even said it, which is nice, because I can tell I'm going to start crying any second which isn't something I want Fang to see or hear.

We hang up, and I sit back on my bed, relieved. Then I start to wonder how Fang will even be able to help me in this situation. Why am I questioning myself so much? Why can't I just make impulsive decisions and hope that they improve things in some way? "I blame Fang," I mutter to myself.

"For what?" Fang asks, walking through my door.

"Knock much?" I ask, giving him my death glare. "To answer your question, I blame you for screwing up my life."

"Watch it. I won't help you if you blame me for ridiculous things." I glare at him more intensely. "Well? What can I do?" Fang seems willing enough to help. I just hope he won't blow me off.

"We should probably go to the school, where they're most likely holding mom and Ella and then." I trail off, not having any idea what the next phase of the plan would be.

"We do whatever it takes?" Fang suggests. I nod.

"Two is better than one, especially in a fight," I point out. I pack a small bag with clothes, food, and other necessities while Fang goes back to his house to do the same. Our only problem is transportation. Neither of us is sixteen, so driving is out of the question. So is flying, because there's no way I'm carrying Fang. Is walking our only option? Walking would be the worst possible choice because of the distance from here to the school in California. It would take at least three weeks, two if we ran, to get from point A to point B. Just as I'm beginning to panic, Fang strides in, a small, black backpack on his um, back, duh.

"You ready?" He asks.

"Almost. How are we gonna get to the school, anyway?" I ask, hoping Fang has come up with some idea. He shrugs. I barely hold back a growl of frustration. What use is he to saving Mom and Ella if he can't even help me figure out a simple thing like this? Once I'm done packing my bag, we both walk outside. I stare at the cloudless blue sky, wishing I could spread my wings and fly to the school. I could be there in a day and a half, even with my torn wing slowing me down. Just then, Fang leaps into the air, unfurling a pair of wings dark as the night. I gasp in astonishment.

"You have wings?" I ask, flabbergasted. "Why didn't you tell me!"

"I wanted to make sure I could trust you." Well, I can't argue with that. I was paranoid about Fang knowing about my wings, but mostly because I really didn't want Jeb to kill him.

"Well, I guess that settles that," I leap into the air, coming up next to fang, and we're on our way.

A/N. Sorry it's so short and crappy, but it's my second chapter today. I'm staying home sick today, so I might be able to put up a third one. Review if you have any suggestions. Thanks for reading! Laters, people! 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer. I'm not even gonna write this anymore. I don't own Maximum ride.

Chapter 7

I've gotta say, even when my mom and sister have been kidnapped probably because of my own actions, flying is still one of the most wonderful things in the world. Fang and I fly close to each other, wings brushing slightly. I don't know why he is helping me, but I'll take it. Also, it's a breath of fresh air to know that I'm not alone in the world, if you know what I mean. Fang is the only other birdkid I've ever met, and I'm guessing it will probably stay that way. Yes, my secret being out in the open has caused my life to cave in on itself, but it's nice to not have to hide all the time. I shake my head. Being so introspective is giving me a headache. All the questioning myself and worrying about how other people think about me is definitely not the norm for me. I'm usually like, okay, there's a problem. Now, do whatever it takes to fix it. No time for analyzing the situation.

"What's wrong?" Fang asks, reading my mind. I shrug.

"Don't really know," I answer. Why did I not come up with a fiery retort? I don't really know, or care for that matter. We fly in silence for a little while longer, reveling in the fact that we finally have human company in the sky. At least, I am really happy about it. Fang's face is so closed off and secretive that it's hard to tell what he's thinking at any given moment. Who knows what's going on in that head of his?

The only thing that jolts me out of my trance-like state is the boom of thunder. Of course, it has to start raining right now. And rain, it looks like, will be the least of our problems today, folks. A buzzing sound barely registers in my ears because of all the rain, but it's obvious once I'm listening to it. I do a 360, looking desperately for the source of the noise. It isn't easy to miss once I see it. Hundreds of winged robots block out what little light the sun is managing to produce in this weather. Fang turns slowly around to face the creatures.

"I know what these are." Fang pitches his voice low so I can hear it over the high-pitched humming of gears and machinery. "They're robots."

"No duh," I snap back, already gearing up into full battle mode.

"They're like erasers, but stronger. Not that smart, though." I nod, still sizing them up for myself. There is no possible way we can win this fight. It's at least 100 to 1. We try as best we can, kicking, punching, and doing whatever it takes to get free, but in the end, they're too much for us. Trust me, I hate to admit it, being the kick butt and think later girl that I am, but it's true.

The next thing I know, I'm strapped to a metal table, restraints strapped to my ankles and wrists. "Hello, Max," Jeb's voice comes from somewhere out of the darkness. "You really should have listened to me.

"What?" I spit at him, trying to get my emotions under control. I really don't need this right now.

"Do you want me to tell you what I was going to tell you a couple days ago?" Jeb uses a sugary sweet voice that makes me feel nauseous.

"No, but I know you will anyway." I hate the tired sound of my voice, and the expression on my usually emotionless face that probably reflects just how done with this evil science crap I am.

"You're right, Max. I'm going to tell you, and you'll wish you had listened the first time I tried to warn you."

A/N. So, guys, I'm leaving you with a cliffy and a really short chapter. I'm just really sad cause I didn't get any reviews for the last couple chapters. I'm not gonna be one of those people who asks for a certain number of reviews for the next update, but if I don't get any reviews, I don't know if you guys like this story or totally hate it, which makes me write less. So please, please review? Thanks for reading, peoples! Yes, I wrote peoples. Laters, guys! 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N. Hey guys! I'm really sorry it's been so long. I have finals next week, so I'm studying like crazy, and don't really have time for anything else, even, sadly, fanfiction. So I'm sorry if this chapter is shorter than normal. I promise I'll make it up to you, hopefully. Anyway, let me know what you think of the chapter, and any suggestions and constructive criticism are always appreciated. Thanks!

Chapter Eight

I lay there in the dark, waiting for Jeb to speak. I have to say, I've never felt so vulnerable in my entire life. My memories of being trapped here when I was little will obviously never go away, but they've become blurrier as I've gotten older. Duh, I was a toddler then. This means that the state I'm in right now is a somewhat new thing for me. I've lived a pretty normal life, after all. A life free of restraints and evil scientists poking me, doing tests on me, and injecting who knows what into my body to make me a birdkid. Trying to play the disinterested card, I give a massive and very loud yawn.

"Spill, Jeb," I try to sound brave.

"Right." Jeb's tone is no longer sugary sweet, but hard as steel. This will be interesting. "As I tried to tell you back at your house when we were having our lovely little," he seems unable to come up with a word to describe what went down that day. "Chat, I was in the process of telling you that your entire life is a test. do you remember that, Max?"

"As a matter of fact, I do, and clearly it is." If the darkness wasn't obscuring my vision, I would be able to see the evil smile that I'm sure is curling his mouth upward.

"As I said before, I tried to warn you. Now I'll tell you. If you so much as look at Fang without being under supervision, we will have no choice but to exterminate you both. This is because,"

"Exterminate?" I try to make my voice strong, which isn't that hard for me to do when I'm this angry. "Exterminate meaning kill. So you're going to kill me if I even happen to look in his direction? Of all people, why him? I don't like him or anything, it's just that I barely know him," You guessed it, folks. I'm practically screaming now. "Who do you people think you are?"

"Max!" Jeb has to shout to be heard over my screams. "Yes, killed. But, don't worry. You can still see him under supervision."

"What does that even mean? Are you saying that we now live here? In this horrible, sick place?"

"Yes, sweety. That's exactly what I'm saying. Someone will be in to take you to Fang in an hour," and with that, Jeb leaves me alone with my thoughts.

Why did that idiot Jeb call me sweety? What do I even do now? Is it my fault that Fang is in this kind of danger? What about mom and Ella? Where do they fit in to this equation? Were they the bait to lead Fang and I straight into the trap? Why now, and why Fang? If Jeb wanted to keep me for the greater good of science or whatever, he could have just kept me in this place instead of handing me off to mom. What is wrong with him? Better yet, what is wrong with me? Since when have I cared. For the entire time that I'm strapped to the metal hospital bed, these questions whirl around in my head. As the darkness presses down on me, the guilt presses even harder. What have I done? Why didn't I shut Fang out like I shut out everyone else, including my own mother and sister? Just as I'm about to go into complete panic attack mode and blame myself for all the universe's problems, the door creaks open exactly like it would in an old horror movie. Well, my life is starting to feel like a horror movie, so I guess this is the perfect touch. White, blinding light fills the room. I squint, eyes watering, trying to adjust to the brightness.

"Hello, Max." A whitecoat says, striding into the room purposefully. That's all the warning I get before the restraints are roughly removed and I'm yanked off the bed and almost thrown into a wheelchair. I am then strapped down again, and we're off. Is the whitecoat pushes me along the white-tiled hallways, I can't help looking into the rooms on either side. I know for a fact that the people, no, the experiments I see will haunt me for the rest of my life. People floating in tanks with multiple limbs. People with eyes covering their entire body. People so misshapen that I can't even describe the deformities. Also, the sounds that fill this place are agonizing. Sure, I'm just another one of their experiments, their tests and numbers, but I have more sympathy for these kids than most. Yes, every room we pass contains a kid. The moans and screams of pain, the cries for loved ones, the horrible grinding of machines, all make me want to go break a window and get the heck out of here more than I wanted to before, which is saying something. Finally, we turn off the hallway and enter a room. The door closes with a loud clunk, thankfully blocking out the sounds from outside. This room is lit also, so it's easy to see Fang lying on his bed, strapped on by thick metal restraints, needles protruding from his arms. He gives me a questioning look when I enter the room.

"Fang. Oh my god are you okay?" You know me. Normally I'd shrug and walk away, but I got him into this mess, so I at least need to see how he's doing.

"How do you know my name?" His tone and expression harden in hostility. Is he going to pretend I don't exist?

"You remember me." His face hardens even more.

"No, I don't. Get out of here!"

"Fang, you don't need to pretend you don't know me because of what happened." I have never been more reasonable in my entire life. I take a deep breath and do the unthinkable. "I'm really sorry." I even added a really in there, and I hope I sounded sincere.

"Sorry for what? Who are you and how do you know my name. I swear I've never seen you before in my entire life." His expression has slipped into genuine curiosity. "What's your name?" Fang asks. He's not giving me the cold shoulder, after all. Something is very, very wrong here.

A/N. So, please review on your way out with any comments or suggestions, and thanks for reading. Again, sorry about the late update, and I really appreciated the reviews last chapter. Keep being awesome. Laters, people!


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